Ryan Pugh

Collaborate with Product, Commercial, and Go-To-Market teams in all aspects of the Advanced Elements brand. Develop new products in the inflatables and accessories categories across Pelican International’s stable of brands. Participate in interdepartmental design reviews to lend knowledge, provide critique, and mentor Jr and Sr designers in their projects.

Primary Roles:
Product Management: Collaborate with Director of Product & Marketing to evaluate product needs and voids in the market by conducting market research, constructing personas, and evaluating the current market landscape and existing products in a category.

Product Design: Conceptualize and execute the design of new products and collections. Make functional and aesthetic choices in areas such as material, color, and component selection. Determine appropriate construction methods. Design and apply product graphics and branding. Create techpacks for sample generation. Act as liaison with overseas factories throughout the product development phase. Present findings, results, strategies, design reviews, and design updates to company executives during benchmark Stage Gate Meetings.

Subject Matter Expert - Inflatables and Advanced Elements Brand: Advise various stakeholders within the organization, including the executive team, about inflatable design, construction, and manufacturing. Produce and conduct presentations for the Commercial, Customer Service, and Marketing teams in order to educate and assist in the knowledge of all things inflatables as well as on the Advanced Elements brand and product lineup.

Lead product development from concept through to pre-production of new inflatable kayaks.

Following the merger of Advanced Elements with Pelican International, my role has been to collaborate with Product Management and Go-To-Market teams in all aspects of the Advanced Elements Brand, primarily with focus in inflatable kayak product design and development.

Primary Roles:
-Product Design: Conceptualize designs through sketching, prototyping, 3D modeling, and computer generated illustrations. Make functional and aesthetic choices in areas such as material selection, colorways, graphics, hardware and component selection, and construction methods. Create product development specifications for full-scale production. Act as liaison with overseas factories throughout the product development phase.

-Subject Matter Expert on inflatable product development, construction, capabilities, etc.

-Graphic Design: Help lead the transition of all Advanced Elements consumer facing materials such as packaging, labels, manuals, etc. to be bilingual in language to meet requirements of various stakeholders.

-Social Media Management: Provide content, manage presence, maintain brand image and focus across Advanced Elements' social media channels.

Collaborated with company founders to lead all aspects of design. Provided Art Direction, and guided brand vision in the areas of Product Development, Graphic Design, Web Design, User Experience, Social Media, and Marketing.

Primary Roles:
Product Management: Evaluated product needs and voids in the market. Determined which products would provide the best opportunity for revenue generation, growth, and/or brand positioning and executed as part of annual product plan.

Product Design: Conceptualized and executed the design of new products. Made choices in areas such as materials, color, component selection, and appropriate construction methods. Designed and applied product graphics and branding. Created techpacks for both sample generation and full-scale production. Acted as liaison with overseas factories from product development phase through to production.

Art Direction & Project Management: Managed and guided brand vision on projects contracted to freelance creatives such as print catalogs, product packaging, photography, and web development. Ensured projects were completed and delivered on time.

Graphic Design: Developed print and digital collateral such as print ads, display ads, product packaging, sell sheets, instructional manuals, product catalogs, and brochures.

Web Development & Management: Produced all digital assets and written copy. Used content management system to edit/create web pages. Continually optimized SEO. Developed and customized blog pages for various marketing initiatives.

Social Media Management & Marketing: Created content, maintained brand image and focus, and engaged in marketing campaigns across brand social channels. Built and managed Ambassador/Influencer team.

Photography: Shot studio and in-use/lifestyle photography and edited as necessary.

Copywriting: Produced all written content for press releases, magazine publications, website, catalogs, product packaging, and instructional manuals.

Mentored and educated high school students in the principles of design, the use of
creative software, and the use of various shop tools and shop machinery.
Developed curriculum for a lead project.